


Our Jagged Pieces Fit Together

by BoxOnTheNile



Series: Pieces [1]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Asahi has PTSD and a service dog, Deaf Character, Disability AU, Disabled Character, M/M, Noya has ADHD, Noya is hopelessly gay, Tanaka is HOH, minor daisuga
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-02-01
Updated: 2016-03-30
Packaged: 2018-05-17 14:52:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 5,659
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5874910
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BoxOnTheNile/pseuds/BoxOnTheNile
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Noya just wanted to find the dog that had been fucking around in his garage. He got a crush instead. </p><p>Ryuu isn't even here to hit him. </p><p>Fuck.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I don't need another WIP but here we are. 
> 
> Alternative title: all your favs are disabled

Asahi was pulled from the panic attack by Estë setting a paw on his thigh and whining. He buried his face in the fur at her neck. She twisted to lick his face, then whined again and pawed at the ground to draw Asahi’s attention to what she had brought to help. His pills, of course; the small stuffed cow toy from Kiyoko; Estë’s favorite squeaky toy…

And a potato.

Asahi picked up the potato cautiously. It was cold, meaning Estë had left the apartment to get it. He probably couldn’t give it back anyway- not many people want a potato that had been in German Shepherd's mouth. He looked at the service dog, and she seemed so proud of herself.

 _Do you see what I got you?_ she seemed to say, and he laughed a little, scratching at her ears before shaking out a pill to swallow dry. “Come on,” he said, “let’s get you a treat, huh?”

 

Noya frowned at the mess across the garage floor. Ryuu had left the back door open at some point, and something had gotten in and now the bag of potatoes was tipped over, the root vegetables spilling onto the concrete amid the wet animal tracks.

 _’You see this?’_ he signed to Ryuu.

 _’I’m H-O-H, not blind,’_ he signed back. Tanaka had a bad habit of leaving his hearing aids on while he slept, and now all the batteries were dead with the new ones not coming in for another day or so. _’Must have left the door open.’_

 _’No shit, Ryuu.’_ The name sign Noya used for Tanaka was ‘friend’ done with ‘R’ hands. _’You go start the rice, I’ll pick this up.’_ Tanaka waved absentmindedly and headed inside. As Noya shoved the potatoes back into the sack, it occurred to him that there was snow outside.

He was gonna find that dog and… something.

He opened the door to the kitchen, stomped to Tanaka knew he was there, and signed a quick _’B-R-B.’_

The tracks in the snow led through a gap in the fence, across the neighbor’s yard, and into the house. Noya jumped the fence to his front yard and pounded on his neighbor’s door. He heard the crash of something hitting the floor, a loud bark, then silence. He knocked again, softer, and there was the sound of pawing at the door. Noya’s earlier frustration melted into concern and he pushed the door open. A German Shepherd had her head low, whining, before she turned tail and ran a few steps. She looked back, her eyes saying _follow me._

There was a man curled in the fetal position on the kitchen floor, breathing heavily, head tucked between his knees. The dog whined and pawed gently at the man's hip before licking his face.

Noya noticed the stove was on. The dog was obviously trained to handle whatever was happening, but Noya knew the hazards of leaving a gas stove running (there was still smoke damage in his kitchen). 

He tapped out a rhythm with his fingertips while he waited for the man to come out of whatever was going on. The problem was Noya got caught up in his impromptu concert, beatboxing along with the sound of his fingertips, he almost missed the soft laugh behind him. He turned around, startled. 

The man was still on the floor, but he was looking up at Noya- a novel occurrence. “Did Estë come get you?” He asked, gesturing to the dog.

“Kinda. He got into my garage. I was on my way to confront him when he invited me in.”

“Yeah. She's normally better than that, I'm sorry.”

“Don't. I think… that-” Noya made a sweeping gesture at the man- “was my fault.”

“Just bad timing,” the man said, absentmindedly petting his dog. “I wasn't completely out of a panic attack from earlier. I'm Asahi, by the way. I'd get up to get you properly, but I'm not sure I trust my legs.”

“I'm Noya. Ryuu and I are your neighbors. And don't worry about it, I'm not normally taller than people. 

Asahi laughed again, the worried lines on his brow easing and his eyes getting squinty and _oh fuck_. 

“Wanna have dinner with my housemate and I?” Noya’s treacherous, treacherous mouth asked. “ ‘S least I can do, and Esta can come.”

“Estë,” Asahi corrected. “It's, uh, Lord of the Rings. But, um, okay? If you don't mind?”

_Fuck._


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tanaka speaks in this chapter. One day I'll write from his POV and show you how he hears workout his hearing aids. I have notes.
> 
> I have notes for most of Karasuno. 
> 
> It's great. 
> 
> I'm suffering.

Asahi scuffed his shoe against the cement of Noya’s porch at the the other man cursed, digging through the snow off to the side for the hidden spare key.

“Why not knock for your housemate?” Asahi asked as Estë leaned against his thigh.

“Ryuu's deaf. Well, not quite deaf, but close enough it wouldn't matter. It's why we bother with the spare key in the first place; I always forget mine and he can't hear my knock or call. Aha!” Noya triumphantly held up a sturdy plastic lockbox with a combination lock. His tongue poked out one side of his mouth as he twisted the dials to the right combination. “Sorry about that. I was so intent on finding Esta earlier, and I have trouble remembering more than one thing sometimes. We're a house of disability.”

“Neuro atypical,” Asahi muttered, half to Estë, and Noya laughed. 

“ADHD, so yeah. And don't worry about signing, if you speak slow, Ryuu can read lips pretty well.”

Asahi clicked his tongue at Estë when Noya got the door open. The smaller male waited patiently as the dog investigated the front room before returning to Asahi's side.

“Anxiety disorder?” Noya asked, then, “Shit, sorry, that was probably insensitive, you don't have to answer-”

“PTSD. I don't feel safe entering a room before Estë checks it.”

Noya nodded his understanding. “Okay, yeah, that makes sense. So… should I bring Ryuu in here or do we send Esta in to maul ‘im?”

Asahi smiled at the mispronunciation of Estë’s name. “It's fine. You did invite me to dinner, I could help?”

“Nah,” Noya waved him off. “Unless that will cause another thing? Shit, I didn’t make it worse, did I?” His shoulders sagged in relief when Asahi shook his head. “Okay. I gotta warn Ryuu about the dog or he'll try to steal her or something. Ryuu and dogs is like…. I can't think of a good analogy.” He led Asahi into his kitchen where another fried thin strips of meat while humming tunelessly. Noya tapped his shoulder, signed, and pointed at Asahi. 

Ryuu, for there was no one else it could be, said loudly, “Can I touch your dog?” Noya rolled his eyes and muttered “volume” under his breath. 

Asahi nodded and murmured “rest” so Estë knew she wasn't working. Immediately, she bounded to Ryuu and his offered affection, exposing her belly for rubs.

Dinner was simple, strips of beef and rice on corn tortillas, but it was comfortable. They shared jobs: Noya was a barista working for a degree in childcare so he could help in preschool, Ryuu was an electrician, and Asahi was a librarian. 

There was a brief misunderstanding when Noya signed an exaggerated ‘stop’ and Estë laid down in response to one of her commands. Asahi quickly reassured the dog that she wasn't in trouble and it was okay to take the beef Ryuu was passing her under the table. 

Noya insisted on walking Asahi home, making sure they exchanged phone numbers.

He was confused as to why Noya blushed when he asked.

 

_Thump. Thump. Thump._

_’You're making the couch shake,’_ Tanaka signed in annoyance. 

_’I'm an idiot.’_

_’This isn't news, bro.’_

_’Asshole,’_ Noya signed, and went back to slamming his head against the back of the couch. 

Tanaka sighed and paused the movie. _’Is this normal brain stuff or something else?’_

_’He's-’_ the sign escaped him- _’C-U-T-E.’_

_’That is what he was. I like Estë._ Tanaka already had a name sign for the dog: an ‘E’ hand upside-down, wiggled at his hip where he would sign ‘dog.’

_’I wanna fuck him.’_

The look of shock waa almost comical. _’Shit. Tell him? You're both adults. He is capable of turning down sex.’_

_’I got his phone number. I want more than sex.’_

Tanaka blinked slowly at him, said “Wow, no,” and threw a blanket over Noya’s head. “You don’t get to look at me like this is high school again.”

Noya pulled the blanket off his face and scooted closer to his friend. “What do I do?” he asked loudly, hopefully loud enough for Tanaka to hear.

Tanaka shrugged. “You'll figure something out. You're a cool guy, Noya. Now can we watch Scott Lang steal from the Avengers or not?” He holds up an arm and lets Noya curl into his side.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, I have PTSD and ADHD, but I'm hearing, so if there are discrepancies, let me know.
> 
> This extends to any disability I end up portraying, even the ones I have.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: I talk about fantasy authors for over 200 words.

It wasn't stalking. It wasn't. He was here because it was the only public library in town and he wanted to check out Lord of the Rings(he'd seen the movies, but never read the books), and it just so happened to fall at a time when Asahi had to stop texting because he was at work. 

That was _it_.

Okay, maybe he had been standing, rooted to the spot for the past ten minutes, watching Asahi help a little girl in a baseball cap get her first library card and check out her books, a few strands of long hair free of his bun and curling against his cheekbone…

Tanaka elbowed him. Noya sputtered for a moment as his ribs protested, and he clutched _The Fellowship of the Ring_ tighter to his chest. 

“Explain to me again why we're here?”

Noya shot Tanaka a withering look. “Because he likes Lord of the Rings enough to name his dog after some obscure character that didn't make it into the movies.”

“And you can't use Google because?”

“I don't know how to spell it.”

Tanaka snorted in amusement. “You're boned.”

“I wish,” Noya muttered. “I bet he could-”

“Stopping you there,” Tanaka cut in. “At least let me take my aids out before you start on that train of thought. We're about to go in the kid's section, man.”

Noya gathered his thoughts and nodded. “I'm going in, prepare the contingency plan.” Tanaka gave him a thumbs up, and Noya stepped into the brightly colored children's section. 

Asahi handed the little girl her books and returned her smile before looking up to help the next person. He blinked in shock when he realized it was Noya. “Nishinoya?”

“Hi,” Noya said, his head screaming _Abort! Abort!_ “I, uh…” He held up his book. “You said Estë was a Lord of the Rings character and I don't remember the name from the movies, so….”

Asahi smiled. “Oh, it's not in the original trilogy. Estë is named after the Valar of healing and rest, from the Silmarillion.”

“I didn’t know there was something besides these and _The Hobbit_ ,” Noya admitted 

“It wasn't published until after he died,” Asahi told him, scanning the barcodes of both the book and Noya’s card. He cocked his head at what appeared on his computer screen. “Tamora Pierce?”

“I've read _Song of the Lioness_ six times.” Noya fidgeted and dropped his gaze. 

“Mercedes Lackey,” Asahi suggested, handing Noya his book and card. “Her books are in the adult shelves. The Mage Storm trilogy had gay characters if that's something-”

“Oh please,” Noya said, leaning forward. “Are they well written? Believable? Are they gay or have I finally found a book with a pansexual because I am nowhere in books.”

Asahi started to laugh under his breath, and Noya immediately made a goal to hear it as often as possible. “I haven't read them in almost a decade, and wasn't a major point in the story. You're on your own.”

Noya threw a glance behind him to make sure he wasn't holding up a line. There was no one waiting, so he kept talking. “Have you read Tamora Pierce?”

“Just _Circle of Magic_ ,” Asahi said with a shrug. “My friend Kiyoko recommended them to me.”

Noya could feel Tanaka's impatient gaze. “Do you… Wanna go out some time? Like, Deadpool is in theaters and I'm a huge Marvel fan and you can say no…” He dropped his head to his hands. “I'm hopelessly gay, I'm sorry.”

“Maybe not Deadpool in a public place,” Asahi said fondly. “And I'm biromantic demisexual, so your ‘hopelessly gay’ self is fine. Now, I should probably get back to work.”

Tanaka drove back to their house with his hearing aids turned off to save what remained of his hearing from Noya’s shrieking.

 

Asahi slid into the diner booth next to Kiyoko, smiling across the table at Daichi and Suga. “You're putting on weight,” he said excitedly. 

Suga laughed. “Still way under what I was before chemo, but getting there. I'll be playing volleyball again with you guys in no time.” He tugged on the edge of his beanie, pulling it farther over the fuzz of regrowing hair, still self conscious. Daichi leaned over to kiss his husband's cheek. “How are things with you?” Suga asked, then frowned. “Pretend I kicked you. Still getting used to the fact that leg is shorter. I can feel it sometimes.”

“I'll kick him for you,” Kiyoko offered, tapping her heel against Asahi’s shin. Under the table, Estë huffed.

“I have a date next week and it's Estë’s fault.”

“Good girl,” Suga cooed while Daichi sniggered. 

Asahi told them about his service dog's theft and the introduction of his neighbors, up to Noya’s visit to the library that afternoon. Suga stole his phone to read his texts. 

“You've already seen the new Star Wars,” Daichi said, reading over Suga’s shoulder. “We saw it last month.”

“Noya hasn't,” Asahi shrugged. “He's been waxing lyrical about Harrison Ford for an hour and a half. How do I tell him?”

“Don't,” Daichi said the same second Kiyoko suggested, “Just bring tissues to the theater.”

“What about you, Kiyoko?” Suga urged. “How did it go with Yachi? It was your… fourth date?”

“Fifth,” Kiyoko corrected, toying with a few strands of her hair. “She kissed me. I kissed her? I'm not sure.” 

“Tell us about it,” Suga said, bouncing a little in his seat. Asahi reached down to scratch Estë’s ears, letting Kiyoko sneak her fries while she repeated a story Yachi had told about her university roommates. 

The group doesn't part for hours, and Asahi curls into bed that night feeling warm.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Noya practiced Estë’s name for hours. Also he has read every book in the Tortall saga at least twice. 
> 
> Suga is a cancer patient. He and Daichi have been married for five years. 
> 
> Kiyoko works at the local university, where she met Yachi. Still figuring out exactly what she does. 
> 
> Questions? Suggestions? I fucked up somewhere? Let me know @ onthenilerivah.tumblr.com.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Asahi has a nonverbal day, and Noya is Thirsty™.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Breif warning for Noya’s thirst. Nothing explicit, but be aware.

Asahi reached a hand out of his blanket pile to turn off the alarm on his phone. He patted Estë where she was curled beside him, opening his mouth to say good morning. 

The words caught in his throat, and he sighed. 

One of _those_ days. 

Estë huffed at the weight of Asahi's hand, shifting so it lay on her belly. He indulged her for a moment, then rolled out of bed to let her outside. After that was the normal morning routine- breakfast, shower, clothes, meds. He tried to verbalize his thoughts or speak to Estë, but never managed anything more than a hum. 

He knew as soon as he managed to speak, he'd be fine, but the problem was getting there. Thank god he had the day off. 

Except his date with Noya was today. 

 

Noya groaned into his textbook, his face planted atop Statistics equations. 

“Nishinoya,” Tsukishima said irritably. He was helping Noya’s typical study group- Tsukishima, Yachi, Tadashi, and Hinata- through their different math homework. He took Statistics with Noya, and was holding the fact they had an test that week against him. 

“Come on, I got a date tonight, and the test is next Tuesday. Lemme goooo, Tsukki.” Noya whined against the pages. 

“You have a date?” Yachi asked. “You're pansexual, right? Is it a boy or a girl?”

“A boy,” Noya answered dreamily. “He's tall and his hair looks so soft and I want to climb him like a tree.”

“Noya!” Tadashi scolded.

“You're Noya?”

Noya lifted his head to see the Uni librarian and Yachi’s girlfriend, Kiyoko Shimizu. _Kiyoko_. Didn't Asahi mention her name the other day? “Asahi-”

“Yes,” she said. “It’s nice to meet you.” She turned to explain to Yachi. “Asahi Azumane has been a dear friend of mine since high school, when I managed for his volleyball team. He told me last week he had a date. It didn't connect that ‘Noya’ was the Nishinoya you'd talked about. Asahi said you were going to a movie?” She directed the last part to Noya.

“Zootopia. It looked okay, the reviews were good, and it was less triggery than Deadpool. Also, he plays volleyball? I was libero for my high school team.”

Kiyoko nodded and leaned across the table. “If you hurt him, you will have two strong young men out for blood, and I will tell them how to find you.” She pecked Yachi on the cheek and left. 

“Holy shit, your girlfriend's hot,” Noya breathed. “If I didn't want Asahi on top a’ me so bad-”

“Leave,” Tsukishima interrupted. Noya whooped with joy and scrambled to pick up his notes.

 

Estë let out a soft “boof” a second before the doorbell rang. There was a pause, then the creak of hinges.

“Asahi? Uh, your note on the door said you're having a nonverbal day, but can you show me where you are some other way?” A gentle nudge had Estë scampering to meet the man. “Oh! Hey, girl. You gonna show me where Asahi is?”

Noya peeked into Asahi’s living room, taking in the blanket pile he was huddled under before smiling. 

“Cozy,” he said. “There's a kettle on your stove. Tea? And we can watch Netflix or something. Cuddle?” Asahi nodded, so he shot him a double thumbs up and went to boil water. Noya chuckled at the quiet _swish_ of Asahi’s blankets on the floor behind him. He flicked on the stove and turned.

Asahi shyly held out a book.

“This is Alanna,” Noya muttered. “Did you check it out because I said I liked it?” At Asahi’s nod, he swallowed. “Well, I hope you like it as much as I do.”

Asahi gestured widely at him. 

“You want me to read it aloud?” Nodnod. “Okay,” Noya smiled brightly, opening to the first page. “ ‘That is my decision. We need not discuss it,’ said the man at the desk…”

Asahi settled in his blankets. Noya’s voice fell easily into a gentle cadence. He was interrupted by the kettle whistling and took a moment to start the tea steeping. The mugs were carried back to living room. 

Before Noya sit down, Asahi opened his blanket in invitation. Noya sucked in a delighted breath and cuddled into Asahi’s side to continue reading, the calming cadence returning to his voice. 

When he opened his eyes to Estë’s cold nose against his hip, he became aware of weight on his chest and a face full of black and blond hair. Birds just beginning to return for the spring twittered outside his window. Noya made a soft, sleepy sound and tried to burrow into Asahi’s sternum. Estë huffed against his skin.

It was tempting to stay. Asahi couldn’t remember ever being comfortable with someone over him because of _that_ , but Estë needed let out and Noya was wearing skinny jeans. 

“Noya.” The word felt clumsy and awkward in his mouth, thanks to the day before, but he could say it. “Noya, wake up.”

“Class at eleven,” Noya mumbled. “Fuck off, Ryuu.”

“I can't, you're laying on me.”

Noya blinked his golden brown eyes open, meeting Asahi’s darker ones. “Not Ryuu.” His gaze flickered down. “Shit.”

He went down, flailing in a tangle of blankets all the way to the floor. Asahi failed to stifle his laughter, leaving the two of them a giggling mess.

“I have stuff for French toast at my place,” Noya said, pulling a blanket from his head. “Also sweatpants, because I'm ready to set these jeans on fire.”

Asahi giggled again, and Noya’s eyes went wide. “That's the cutest thing I've ever heard,” he said frankly. 

Asahi covered his mouth with a hand. “I hate it,” he admitted. He pulled the elastic from his hair, combing his fingers through it and starting to reform the bun. Noya’s hand twitched upward, and Asahi paused. “Do you want me to leave it down?”

“Do what you want,” Noya told him.

Asahi slid the elastic onto his wrist. “You mentioned French toast?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the first chapter to break 1k words, and I picked the shorter ending.
> 
> Angst next chapter, as we find out what trauma lies in Asahi’s past.
> 
> I would like to formally apologize to Nishinoya for making him fall asleep in skinny jeans.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hoo boy.
> 
> I kinda wrote this story as catharsis. When Asahi first showed up on the anime, anxious and awkward and sweet, I saw myself. If I was a six foot Japanese boy instead of a skinny white girl. 
> 
> So I projected like a motherfucker, meaning the warning for this chapter is referenced childhood sexual assault. Because fuck everything.

Asahi kept his eyes on his lap, hearing the clock tick behind him and to the right. His counselor, Takeda, sat patiently across from him.

“I'm dating again,” Asahi finally said. 

“And?”

“And I'm afraid to tell him about…” He swallowed. Talking helps, he reminded himself. “About the sexual assault. I like him. I really do. But any time I've told a romantic partner, they don't want to deal with it. What if Noya doesn't either?”

“You can't keep it from him,” Takeda told him gently. “Not if you want a meaningful relationship. Do you trust him?”

Asahi thought back to the night before, when Noya, covered in flour and waiting for homemade cookies to bake, leaned in to kiss him and respected his small step back. “Yes. I do. God, it's only been a few weeks.”

Takeda smiled at him. “That's the way love works sometimes. Medical wants to know if your new pills are working.”

“We need to try something else. The panic attacks are letting up, but the depression has gotten worse. I'm falling back into self harm ideation.”

“I'll schedule an appointment with Medical and have Hajime call you.” Takeda’s brow furrowed. “Hajime is your case manager, yes? I'm not confusing you with another patient?”

“Hajime is mine,” Asahi confirmed.

“That should be it this session, unless there's something else?”

Asahi shook his head and let Takeda usher him out, making sure to check out at the front desk. Oikawa, the receptionist, was lying on the floor with Estë and a few children, coloring in a coloring book while Hajime Iwaizumi manned his post.

The children protested Estë’s departure before Oikawa recaptured their attention, which left Iwaizumi shaking his head fondly. 

Once he was isolated in his car, Asahi leaned over to bury his face in Estë’s fur. “I'm scared,” he admitted to the dog. “I think I love him. What if-” He exhaled heavily, pulled back to look into Estë’s eyes. “I need to tell him. He deserves to know.” Estë ‘wuff’ed softly. “Yeah. Let's go.”

The sign outside the café read _Nekoma_. A laminated sheet of paper taped to the door proudly declared ‘Sign Language friendly!’ Inside, Asahi could see Noya’s signature blond bangs as he handed a coffee cup to a patron. He was grinning, 160 centimeters of sunshine. 

Noya signed something at his customer, the patron seeming to blow a kiss afterward. Asahi was pretty sure that was thank you in sign. Noya’s eyes flickered to the door and lit up, the man in question immediately waving for him to come in. Asahi pushed through the door hesitantly. Estë was wearing her service vest, but some places still didn't like letting her in.

Noya’s coworker, a tall man with spiky black hair, noticed his hesitation. “You're fine. Even if he wasn't in a vest, I wouldn't mind, and I own the damn café.”

“She,” Noya corrected. “Her name is Estë and she's my boyfriend's service dog, so use her name, Kuroo.”

“Boyfriend?” Kuroo repeated. “In that case, how about we let Estë there test that recipe Yaku found for dog treats. Unless,” Kuroo glanced at Asahi, “she's not allowed while on duty.”

“She’s an emotional support animal, primarily, so she'd love to,” Asahi told him. “And I think the peppermint hot chocolate looks good.”

“I got it,” Noya said loudly, grabbing a paper cup and scrawling something on it. Kuroo snorted and grabbed a box from the back counter. 

“Here,” he said, passing him a few heart shaped treats. Asahi offered one to Estë, who crunched into it. She immediately nosed at his other hand for more. 

“Safe to say she likes them, I think,” Kuroo said as he leaned against the counter. Noya snorted and set Asahi cup on the counter. 

“Don't you dare,” Noya warned when Asahi reached for his wallet. “I get a discount, I'll pay.”

“Is that allowed?”

“I don't give a fuck, and I own the place,” Kuroo shrugged. “Noya, you can go chat with him, but if someone other than our regulars come in, I want your ass front and center.”

“Yes, sir,” Noya saluted and snagged a few more dog treats. 

“No, I can't stay long,” Asahi said. “Just wanted to ask Noya to come over tonight.”

“Get some!” someone yelled.

“Shut the fuck up, Terushima,” Noya shouted back. “Yeah. Oh. Three dates. Relationship talk.” He shot off finger pistols. “Gotcha. You go do what you need to, I'll text you when I'm off. Now if you'll excuse, Terushima needs punched for making you uncomfortable.”

“Don't punch the customers,” Kuroo drawled, tucking a paper bag into Asahi’s hand. “Tell Noya about this, I will spit in your next coffee order.”

Asahi checked the bag in his car to find another handful of dog treats and an orange cranberry scone wrapped in a napkin. ‘Shut up’ was written on the napkin in Sharpie. 

 

Noya perched in the armchair in Asahi’s living room, watching his boyfriend- were they considered boyfriends yet?- fidgeting on the couch. Asahi’s eyes were trained on his lap, and he didn't speak. Noya could be patient, though. This was obviously important to Asahi, but difficult. 

“Estë’s a PTSD service dog.”

Noya nodded. “So it's PTSD and not a general anxiety thing. You don't look military-”

“Childhood sexual assault.”

“Jesus _fuck_.”

“I understand if- if that's something you can't deal with or- or don't want to, but if we were g-gonna go anywhere-”

“Hey.” Noya leaned forward to cup one of Asahi’s hands in both of his. “Deep breaths. You sound like you're working yourself into a panic attack and let's not do that. Let me talk before you freak out over stuff I haven't even said, huh?” Asahi nodded. “Okay. First, Kuroo and Ryuu will help me hide bodies if they got away with that bullshit. Second, I'm gonna punch Terushima next time I see him. Third, I still think you're cute as hell and want to kiss you even more now, because you deserve all the nice things.”

“You're staying?”

“Yep. … _Can_ I kiss you?” When Asahi nodded again, Noya slipped to floor on his knees. He cradled Asahi’s cheeks in his palms and pressed a kiss to the tip of his nose. “Still okay?”

Nod.

Time slowed as Noya pressed lips against Asahi’s, dry and chaste. The slide of their lips wasn't exactly smooth, but it made Noya giddy. He needed this like he needed to breathe, drowning and flying simultaneously.

Asahi’s fingertips settled softly on Noya’s pulse point and Noya sighed at the touch. He wanted the keep _going_ , until his wasn't sure where he ended and Asahi began, but Asahi wasn't ready for that. Noya could read it in the hesitation of his movements. 

He pulled back when tasted salt. Asahi was crying.

“I'm sorry,” he sniffled.

“Don't be,” Noya whispered, and kissed the tears from his cheeks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I could end Jagged here and go work on other stories in this 'verse, but nah, probably not.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Im so tired rn guys this is probably full of typos if you see any let me know

Winter sunlight illuminated the room through the slats of the blinds. The bed’s surface was taken up by a sleeping dog and a tangle of blankets and limbs. Noya was combing his fingers through Asahi’s hair, the larger man still dozing peacefully. 

Noya paused. “Asahi, when's your birthday?”

“Why?”

“Because Ryuu's is this week, mine is in October, but I don't know yours.”

“New Year's Day.”

“We met in _December_ , why didn't you _tell me?_ ”

“Because it was the 27th, and you didn't ask me out until afterward? It's not like I was alone. My friend Daichi's birthday is the day before.”

“Oh, I met Kiyoko a while ago. She's my classmate’s girlfriend. I forgot to tell you.”

Asahi propped himself up on his elbow. “She told me. You want to meet Daichi and Suga?”

“You wanna meet the rest of my friends?” Noya countered with a smile. “I mean, we're sleeping together. With clothes. Not sex wise. Anyway, we should meet each other’s social groups.”

“We meet up for dinner every few weeks. Come tonight?”

“Yeah,” Noya agreed. “Some of my friends play volleyball on weekends. Kiyoko said you used to play?”

“You need a setter?”

“You were a setter?”

“Me? No.” Asahi pushed a strand of hair behind his ear. “I'm a wing spiker. Suga’s the setter, and his physical therapist said he needs to be more active. He lost his left leg below the knee to cancer.”

“Shoyou has fibromyalgia and plays in his wheelchair sometimes. We'd love to have Suga.” Noya twisted and groaned into Asahi’s side. “Work. Don't wanna.”

“Well,” Asahi squirmed free of Noya’s grasp, standing and stretching, “I need to go to work. I have a dog and a boyfriend.”

Noya propped himself up on his elbows. “Are you asking me to move in?”

Asahi fidgeted, dug his toes into the carpet. “You already keep clothes and some of your pills here, but I understand if Tanaka…”

“You could move in with me. We have two bedrooms and Ryuu already loves Estë. I even think our backyard is bigger, ‘cause we're on the corner. I gotta talk to Ryuu about it…”

“It doesn't have to be now,” Asahi soothed,digging in a dresser drawer for clean boxers before he went to shower. “We've only been together a few months.”

“I'm playing the long game, Azumane.” Noya let the top half of his body hang off the bed so he was watching Asahi upside-down. His spine cracked in a few places. “Holy shit, that felt amazing.”

“You startled Estë,” and sure enough, the German shepherd came to investigate, accidentally upsetting Noya’s fragile balance and sending him to the floor. 

“We should call in sick,” Noya mumbled into the carpet. “Just sleep. All day. Uni’s on spring break, the café is always slow on Wednesdays, and who goes to the library in the middle of the week?”

“University students on spring break.”

“You work in the children's section. I'm the only Uni student that goes in there, because I like kids.”

Asahi paused at the door, looking back at his boyfriend. “I shouldn't. Someone in this relationship has to be responsible, and my boyfriend apparently isn't it.”

“Hey Asahi.”

“What?”

“You have a boyfriend. You're gay.”

Asahi sighed fondly. “I'm going to shower. You know how to make coffee.”

 

Noya danced between tables at closing time, Kuroo egging on his broom-duel with Lev. Yaku rolled his eyes at the familiar antics as he moved pastries to the day old section. 

“Careful,” the baker warned when Lev’s broom came too close to the paper-cutout flowers on the windows. “Nishinoya, don't encourage him. Besides, don't you have a date tonight?”

“You gonna suck his dick in a bathroom?” Kuroo asked. 

“He could crush my head with his thighs and I'd die happy,” Noya sighed. 

“You’re fucking weird,” Kuroo told him, unsurprised. “What does a guy like that even do for a living?”

“He's a librarian. Kid's Section. Some of the smaller ones come read to his dog and it's adorable.” 

“Goddamn, you're made for each other.” Kuroo mimed gagging, like he wasn't in a three year committed relationship. 

Yaku smacked him. “You can go early, Nishinoya. If Kuroo has nothing better to do than tease you, I'm sure he can handle sweeping.” 

Kuroo sighed, but took the broom from Noya. “Get out of here, pipsqueak.”

Noya stuck his tongue out at the café owner before ducking out. The early dismissal was fifteen less minutes he'd be late.

The bus ride had him fidgeting. What if Asahi’s friends didn't like him? Kiyoko had seemed… okay with him, but she was hard to read. Noya was still trying to figure out how someone as quiet as Asahi handled his energy, his friends may not _want_ to.

It wouldn't be the first time. 

But this was his stop, so he texted Asahi as he stepped out into the March evening. The restaurant was a hole-in-the-wall Italian place they apparently frequented. 

He ducked in to hear a soft voice say, “Bleached bangs, Asahi? Sure that's not too wild for you?”

“Talking about me?” Noya nearly cursed as his mouth ran ahead of his brain. 

“Noya!” Asahi smiled sheepishly at him. “I like your hair.”

Noya tugged on the fringe, an old high school habit. “Thanks, babe.” He offered his hand to the two other men. “Yuu Nishinoya, but just Noya is fine.”

“Suga,” and holy shit, Noya has never seen a more aesthetically pleasing human being in his life. 

His mouth jumped ahead of his brain again. “Are you a model?”

Suga laughed while the other man deadpanned, “A model would not have married me.”

“Daichi,” Suga scolded, and smiled apologetically at Noya. “Kiyoko said she couldn't make it tonight, so it's just us four.”

Noya swallowed hard. He was working from scratch? 

Asahi's hand curled around, warm and so much bigger, and squeezed reassuringly. 

Daichi must have been more perceptive than Noya gave him credit for, because he glanced from their joined hands, to Asahi's face, to Noya. 

“You're scared of us,” he said once they were seated. 

“Terrified,” Noya agreed. He really needed to refill his prescription. He was saving the last pill for that test tomorrow, so had been an idiot and skipped today’s dose. Well, he was this far. “Wouldn't be the first time I've been dumped because the friends didn't want to deal with my energy.”

“You make Asahi happy,” Suga said kindly. “That's enough for us.”

Noya grinned happily and tucked himself into Asahi side. “Okay. Asahi, so, this _asshole_ came into the café today…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Author does not suggest skipping your meds.
> 
> God I hate when I forget my ADD meds and the filter between my brain and mouth vanishes.

**Author's Note:**

> I have PTSD and ADD and my friend is HOH, but if I messed up somewhere, please let me know, and I'll do my best to fix it.


End file.
